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Tag: grammar rules

What Is an Adverb?

Adverbs are the more complicated cousin of adjectives. Whereas adjectives serve a fairly straightforward purpose—they limit or describe a noun—adverbs have a more diverse range of functions. Their primary purpose is to modify verbs, but they can also modify adjectives, Read more…


What Is a Preposition?

“Preposition” is one of those grammar words that seems to be thrown around a lot but never actually clearly explained. Sometimes people seem to (incorrectly) use it as the catch-all: When all the other words in a sentence have been Read more…


6 Essential Grammar Words You Should Know

Noun Definition Basically, a noun is a person, place, or thing. The “thing” category also covers animals, qualities (like “kindness”), and ideas (like “justice”). This is the largest category of words in English. What Do Nouns Do? In a sentence, Read more…


Can You “Munch” on Cheese?

While researching for another article, I came across this entry in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage, which explains the word munch: “Copperud 1970, 1980 does not like munch when it is used of eating something that does not crunch.” Read more…


The 2 Most CONTROVERSIAL Punctuation Practices

You know, I really wish there were just one hard-and-fast set of grammar rules that everyone agreed on and followed all the time. That’d make things much easier for writers, editors, students, and anyone learning English as a second language. Read more…


This Capitalization Rule Is ALMOST Always True

Doesn’t that just title sum up English grammar? “Here’s a rule, but it’s not quite always true…” It’s an unfortunate reality that the rules of English grammar are very much like swiss cheese: full of holes (and possibly a little Read more…


Adjective Order: The English Rule You Obey Without Thinking

Why does “the brick old house” sound weird but “the old brick house” is fine? So many grammar rules are difficult to remember and even trickier to perfect, but this one is pretty much automatic for most native English speakers. Read more…


Ending a Sentence with a Preposition: Your Teacher Probably LIED to You About This Rule

Have you ever been told that you can’t end a sentence with a preposition? Maybe you don’t know what that really means, which makes the rule all the more frightening. Well, breathe a deep sigh of relief because it turns Read more…


Split Infinitives: The Made-Up Grammar “Rule” You Can Definitely Break

Star Trek is an iconic media franchise, bringing audiences legendary characters, exciting storylines, and seemingly endless spin-off shows and movies. But the franchise’s impact goes beyond the entertainment realm: Grammarians have Star Trek to thank for one of the most Read more…